Three Stages
Encoding transforms experience into neural patterns. Storage maintains them. Retrieval reconstructs them on demand.
Forgetting Curve
Ebbinghaus showed memory decays rapidly without review. Spaced repetition exploits this for durable learning.
False Memories
Leading questions and vivid imagination can create confident memories of events that never occurred.
Improvement Tactics
Sleep after learning, active recall, and connecting new facts to existing knowledge strengthen retention.